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Source: Sault Star
Engineers are monitoring the Poe Lock after a gate malfunction closed the largest of the Soo Locks on Wednesday.
“It wasn’t mitring properly so we stopped traffic for a while [Wednesday morning],” said Klein.
“We’re still monitoring it,” he said.
Corina Milic | Source: Sault Star
“Business wise, (the Sault) is the hub of the Great Lakes, so for commercial stuff it’s a pretty decent place to be,” said Jackson, who started up R. Jackson Development Inc. last year.
“Full commercial [diving] means anything in the water that needs to be repaired, inspected or taken out so that it can be repaired and inspected on the surface,” said Jackson.
Underwater welding and sewage clean up are part of the job, but most of the work comes down to concrete reconstruction - especially along the built up St. Mary’s River waterway, canal and locks system.
… He and his two-man team completed their first contract last year in Sturgeon Falls, cleaning up and reinforcing the “piernose” of a dam for West Nipissing Power and Allard Marine Industries.
Jackson does have some competition. There are at least three other commercial divers in the area, including Purvis Marine, Porpealia Repair and Gardiner Marine on St. Joseph Island, where Jackson plans to have a permanent office.
More on commercial & recreational diving at the Sault Star >>
By BOB MIHELL | Source: Sault This Week
“A shoreline greening project is also underway at Essar Steel Algoma, with hydro seeding and tree planting in progress along the entire shoreline, commencing at the eastern perimeter in back of the Administration Building and planned to extend all the way to the western perimeter of the property. Apart from the obvious aesthetic value of a greening initiative, the plantings will help improve air quality.
In addition, a very large berm is under construction, with the first phase nearing completion. Beginning at the western corner of the boat slip, spanning approximately 200-feet wide at the bottom, standing about 50 feet high and extending 300 feet long, the berm is designed to prevent trace dust particles from the coal piles from migrating off the property.
“To address the potential for coal pile run off, a collection trench is maintained to keep the water from entering the slip. The Company has also commenced a dust suppression program on the coal piles and surrounding roadways to reduce the amount of particulate released into the air.”
Since the Indian multinational, Essar Global, assumed ownership of the Canadian steelmaker in June 2006, it has come under intense public and government scrutiny as a result of Essar’s plans to double steel production within five years.
Stenta described a dredging project currently underway with MOE approval at Saw Mill Point in preparation for new dock facilities to allow Essar Algoma to substantially increase freighter traffic bringing additional raw materials, such as coal and iron ore, to the plant.
Stenta wrote: “Essar Steel Algoma has taken steps through our dredging contractor, Purvis Marine, to put a silt curtain in place to ensure any sediment that may be disturbed will not be carried downstream. In addition, Purvis Marine has acquired new, state of the art dredging equipment that provides for less sediment disturbance and features GPS devices on the hoist allowing for very accurate, targeted dredging.
By FRANK DOBROVNIK | Source: The Sault Star
Essar Steel Algoma is a beehive of activity these days as it prepares to nearly double steel-making capacity by the end of next year, including building a new dock-face to accommodate hundreds more vessels.
“It’s very tight. There’s not a lot of capacity left,” said chief operating officer Armando Plastino.
With the No. 6 blast furnace now up and running alongside No. 7, Essar aims to be able to ship out four million tons of finished coil and slab by the end of 2009. That means bringing in that much more raw material.
…Algoma has just under 500 boats coming in and out over a typical shipping season. Plastino expects that to increase to about 700, with little room for snags, he said.
“You’ve got to get all your raw materials here by Dec. 15, and the locks don’t reopen until the end of March. You’ve got to have enough raw materials to last you through the winter.”
Very interesting story, more quotes and specifics, photo at the Sault Star >>
Source: Sault Star
The St. Mary’s River won’t run quite as high this month, as the International Lake Superior Board of Control responds to August’s Lake Superior water level decline.
Lake Superior, which normally rises by one centimetre in August, dropped by five centimetres last month.
Water supplies to the basins of Lake Superior and lakes Michigan-Huron were well below their long-term averages, said the board of control in its regular outflow update.
The reduced rate will mean decreased water levels on the St. Mary’s Rapids this month.
Read the rest of the story at the Sault Star >>
The Walter J. McCarthy, a 1000-footer, anchored above the Rock Cut Wednesday evening, likely due to low water levels. The St Marys River was well below datum at that point. The McCarthy had long since departed anchorage and cleared the River as of mid-day Thursday, September 4th.
Loaded freighters often anchor above and below the Rock Cut when water levels drop. Failing to wait could have disastrous results; without enough water, they may strike bottom, run firmly aground, damage the hull, and even possibly spill some of their cargo in the waterway.
It is more common to see ships anchored in the St Marys in the autumn and early winter months, as water levels tend to run lower in the lakes and therefore the river during that time of year. ##
Web: NOAA Great Lakes Online - live water level readings around the Great Lakes
by Carol Martin | Source: SooToday.com
Essar Steel Algoma Inc. has been dredging this month at Saw Mill Point on the upper St. Marys River.
The company is building a new deep water dock at that location because there’s currently insufficient draft at the Essar slip for most lake freighters to carry to capacity.
…”The dredging contractor, Purvis Marine, has acquired new, state-of-the-art dredging equipment that provides for less sediment disturbance and features global positioning system (GPS) devices on the hoist. allowing for very accurate, targeted dredging,” says Stenta.
…They are disposing of the dredged material in an approved landfill located on Essar property.
Essar Steel Algoma asked to dredge 89,000 cubic metres of sediment from its slip on the upper St. Marys River because of dropping water levels, rising shipping and receiving demands and expected production increases, Aasen said.
Read the full story, more about the St. Marys River at SooToday.com >>
Source: Lake Carriers Association
The Lake Carriers’ Association says the US-Flag Great Lakes fleet moved 11.4 million net tons of cargo on the Great Lakes in June, an increase of about 80,000 tons compared to a year ago.
The June float was, however, 220,000 tons below the month’s five-year average.
“Higher water levels have helped increase payloads, but the dredging crisis remains real,” said the company. “Vessels transiting the St Marys River, for example, were able to load another 10-12 inches deeper than a year ago, but were still losing more than a foot of draft compared to 1997, a period of near record high water levels.”
“As a result, while top cargos this June were roughly 2,000 tons greater than a year ago, the month’s largest cargos were still 5,000 tons or more below what vessels were able to carrying during the period of high water.”
For the year, US-Flag carriage stands at 39.1 million tons, a slight decrease from a year ago, but more than 700,000 tons off the five-year average from the first half of the year.
Source: USCG
The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 19-year-old female from the Brig Niagara at approximately 12:40 p.m. in the St. Mary’s River System today.
A Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie 30-foot response boat was launched to assist the ailing woman because she was suffering symptoms of appendicitis.
The female was taken to awaiting Emergency Medical Services onshore at Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie, and then she was transported to a local hospital.
This was the second medical evacuation case for Station Sault Ste. Marie in two days.
Source: USCG
The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 52-year-old male from the motor vessel Algorail at approximately 8:20 p.m. near Detour Pass today.
A Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie 30-foot small boat was launched to assist the ailing man because he was suffering from chest pains.
The man was taken to awaiting Emergency Medical Services onshore at Detour Pass (near the bottom of St. Mary’s River) and was taken to Detour Village to Sault Ste. Marie War Memorial hospital.
By JACK STOREY | Source: Soo Evening News
Barred from operating in the ice that currently chokes the West Neebish Channel, the [Neebish Island] ferry has not yet begun spring service.
When the ferry does begin crossings, [Eastern U.P. Transportation Authority (EUPTA) staff Director Chuck] Moser said it will make four crossings daily with a different schedule for weekdays and on weekends. He also reported that permanent hull repairs will be scheduled for the MCM Marine drydock as soon as possible once the ice is out of the St. Marys River.
Moser said the drydocking, inspection and repairs on the old ferry’s hull will require two to three weeks and possibly more, depending on the amount of hull work that is needed. He said EUPTA is currently attempting to find insurance or grant funding to cover the repairs.
Moser said MCM has agreed to take the Neebish Islander II as soon as the ferry is cleared to move upriver under Coast Guard restrictions.
The EUPTA director also indicated the authority is seeking a replacement vessel to take over Neebish Island service temporarily while the ferry is in the repair yard. Speaking of a so-called “bare boat charter,” Moser said, “A replacement vessel will not come cheap.”
… In his report, Moser also described EUPTA’s decision to retain the “winter” ferry schedule at Drummond Island through the month of April. A cost-saving measure, the “winter” schedule reduces daily ferry crossings by a number of passages each day, reducing the burdensome high cost of fuel.
Moser said he expects the schedule change will save EUPTA $80 to $100 per trip not made. He also confirmed that the EUPTA staff is looking more closely at the remainder of the Drummond Ferry schedule and the schedule at Sugar Island with the intention of possibly reducing low-volume ferry crossings.
“We have to look at the level of service compared to what we can afford to do,” he said.
Sasso appeared to be comfortable with service reductions on some runs at both crossings. Sasso suggested using EUPTA’s new ferry dock cameras to see across the DeTour-Drummond crossing to determine if vehicles are waiting before making an “empty run” simply to make the schedule.
Sasso also suggested returning to late night and early morning crossings on an “on request” basis as was once done on the Drummond crossing.
No action was requested on scheduling changes as Moser said the staff has not yet completed its review of the potential for reducing runs.
Much more to this story, read it all at the Soo Evening News >>
By JACK STOREY | Source: Soo Evening News
BARBEAU - A leak in the hull of the ferry Neebish Island II has been patched temporarily and the ferry has been cleared to resume restricted service, according to Eastern U.P. Transportation Authority Director Chuck Moser.
Moser said a repair crew from MCM Marine Inc. installed the specialized concrete patch on Thursday after EUPTA obtained the Coast Guard’s approval on a temporary repair. Moser said the ferry has been cleared to resume passenger and vehicle service once the patch cures but only under a set of rigorous conditions.
Moser said the restrictions will limit the number and timing of daily ferry crossings, but pledged that EUPTA and the ferry operator will follow the Coast Guard conditions strictly.
The EUPTA director said the ferry cannot, by agreement, operate so long as the West Neebish Channel is filled with ice. After that, he said, the Neebish Islander II will run on a partial schedule with fewer daily runs than its seasonal six-trip daily schedule.
By MIKE FORNES | Source: Cheboygan Tribune
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - Heavy ship traffic is reported in the vicinity of the Soo Locks, St. Mary’s River and Whitefish Bay as the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw and other icebreaking vessels are hustling to assist those in need.
The Mackinaw has been actively conducting icebreaking operations in Whitefish Bay and the lower St. Mary’s River over the last week.
Cmdr. John Little, the Mackinaw’s captain, said Wednesday that conditions of plate ice from 12 to 30 inches thick with brash ice of more than six feet remains in most of Whitefish Bay.
Little said his ship and crew have conducted more than 50 vessel assists to commercial shipping within the last few days alone while also conducting five direct assists to ships beset in heavy ice, freeing them to resume their transits.
“Some of these assists came within the narrowest portions of the lower St. Mary’s River in the turns of Winter Point, Johnson Point and Stribling Point,” Little continued.
Also conducting superb efforts as a part of “Team Taconite” are the cutters Biscayne Bay, Katmai Bay and Neah Bay; all three 140-foot ships are assisting vessel transits in the lower river while Mackinaw works in very thick shifting ice in Whitefish Bay.
“Tuesday’s weather has really thrown Operation Taconite a curve as winds in Whitefish Bay were at 40 knots from the north and previously established tracks are rapidly closing,” Little added.
More quotes, details to this excellent story at the Cheboygan Tribune >>
By JACK STOREY | Source: SooEveningNews.com
NEEBISH ISLAND - Isolated by seasonal St. Marys River ice conditions, Neebish Island may be cut off even longer this spring, after the discovery of a hull leak in the ferry Neebish Islander II.
Chuck Moser, director of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority, said the “pinhole leak” in the ferry’s hull was discovered during a routine oil change.
… The leak forced EUPTA to sideline the ferry indefinitely while the authority and Coast Guard marine inspectors determine how to repair the damaged hull and when.
Read the full story at the SooEveningNews.com >>
Posted By Linda Richardson | Source: The Sault Star
Ice congestion in the Straits, which connects Lakes Huron and Michigan, 87 kilometres south of Sault Ste. Marie, is heavy.
“Depending where you are at, it’s a couple of inches to 18 inches of ice,” said West, who indicated there wasn’t much shipping traffic in the Straits Sunday.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard ice breakers continue their battle to clear a shipping channel in the St. Mary’s River.
The upper river, from the locks to Whitefish Bay in Lake Superior is 100-per-cent covered by ice, with up to 30 inches of plate ice (a solid piece), West said.
The lower St. Mary’s is 80-to-100 per cent covered with six to 24-inch thick ice.
From a story about the Cason J Callaway/American Republic collision at the Sault Star >>
by Dan Bellerose | Source: The Sault Star
“[Ship t]raffic is moving but it’s moving slowly. . . . We have more ice than resources to deal with it at present and it has slowed movement to a crawl.”
…The ice itself isn’t abnormally thick, but it’s the second-largest ice-cover accumulation in the last dozen years, according to the U.S. National Weather Service, and the difficulty is getting the broken ice to flow downstream rather than congest, Gill said.
Icebreakers are encountering 46 to 76 centimeters (18 to 30 inches) of plate ice throughout the length of the St. Mary’s and up to 96 cm of brash ice.
… Usually, three 660-ton Bay-class icebreaking tugs patrol the lower St. Mary’s during breakout. But only two are available this spring and one of them, the Biscayne Bay, out of St. Ignace, has seen limited duty this week due to propulsion problems.
The Mackinaw was relocating from Whitefish Bay and the upper St. Mary’s to the lower St. Mary’s on Wednesday afternoon to assist the Katmai Bay, out of the Michigan Sault. Its hoped the Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker Samuel Risley will be downbound from Thunder Bay in the coming days.
Ice congestion in the lower river system has upbound traffic moving in two- to five-vessel convoys, with an icebreaker escort, and three such convoys had moved since Tuesday. But there has been no downbound traffic and five vessels were waiting to move out early Wednesday afternoon.
More to this excellent story at the Sault Star, click to read >>
by Jack Storey | Source: Soo Evening News
Ships in the river overnight hove-to or tied up where they were to await daylight and the resumption of icebreaker escorts, starting with two thousand-foot self unloaders making the first downbound trips of the season.
Coast Guard operations manager Mark Gill said the 1,000-foot Indiana Harbor and Edwin H. Gott opted to lay over the nighttime hours at the Soo Locks pier wall after locking down late Tuesday. Gill explained that while the commercial ships waited, two Bay-Class tugs completed the initial opening of the often-troublesome West Neebish Channel in preparation for the two wide-bodied vessels due down early today.
He said Coast Guard ice escorts are suspended during nighttime hours because of very limited visibility and safety concerns. However, an extra hour of daylight in the evening and a bright moon overnight aided the tugs Katmai Bay and Biscayne Bay in their joint channel-clearing operation at West Neebish.
Downriver of that passage on the upbound side, a cluster of four ships waited in the ice overnight at Mud Lake before resuming their first upbound passages of the season in heavy ice conditions. Stewart J. Cort, James R. Barker, Algorail and Canadian Transfer were all expected to get underway early today after waiting out the night in the ice.
Source: Soo Evening News
Callaway’s struggle with the ice below Sault Ste. Marie was matched at the Sugar Island ferry crossing, where an ice jam just below Mission Point kept the ferry Sugar Islander II at her island dock through most of Monday and well into early Tuesday morning.
Above the Soo Locks, two thousand-foot self unloaders crossing Lake Superior on Monday ran into the same kind of packed ice well inside Whitefish Point.
Both ships, Indiana Harbor and Edwin H. Gott, laid up for the night off Isle Parisienne to await icebreaker help from the USCGC Mackinaw and daylight.
In an opening day as busy as any in recent memory, four more ships waited in the ice upbound at Mud Lake for their turn at the difficult upbound channel around Neebish Island.
Source: Duluth News Tribune
The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., opened as scheduled just after midnight this morning.
The Cason J. Callaway was…
By Jack Storey | Source: Soo Evening News
A Coast Guard official on Thursday said the annual channel breakout in advance of the shipping season start has gone well, despite much heavier ice this winter and one fewer icebreaker to do the work.
Mark Gill, coordinator of the Coast Guard’s Operation Taconite, said icebreakers are reporting considerably more ice cover with thicker ice formations on area channels this year. He said this winter’s ice crop is the “…second largest ice accumulation in the last 12 years.”
This year’s breakout contrasts sharply with last March, when the various icebreakers made quick work of all channels from the Straits of Mackinac to Whitefish and beyond.
Gill said the big icebreaker Mackinaw will be taking a day off from the ice today after a solid week of ice work on Whitefish Bay. Mackinaw is berthed at Base Sault today for sewage pump out and fueling before returning to Whitefish to re-join the annual fight with the ice.
Gill said Mackinaw successfully shepherded some 21 miles of ice out of Whitefish with the help of strong easterly winds last week. He said the new icebreaker is particularly adept at clearing large expanses of fast ice … with appropriate help from the wind.
As it stood on Thursday as Mackinaw moved in toward Base Sault, the bay ice edge that was off Whitefish Point last week has moved east to Read the rest of this entry »
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